Early the next morning.

“Miss, are you going?” Zixiang frowned, tightly clutching a dress in her hands.

Mu Yunjin glanced at Zixiang, reached out and pulled the dress from her hands, then unhurriedly put it on. “Yes, I want to go see what all the excitement is about.”

“Miss, even if you want to go, shouldn’t you disguise yourself?” Zixiang looked anxiously at Mu Yunjin in her simple, elegant attire, her beautiful face completely exposed.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve been confined to Shihua Pavilion all this time—who would recognize me?” As Mu Yunjin finished speaking, she pushed open the bedroom door and quickly walked out.

Zixiang immediately chased after her, exiting Mu Yunjin’s bedroom, but there was no trace of Mu Yunjin outside the door.

…

Mu Yunjin silently scaled down a stone wall of Shihua Pavilion, her movements quick and agile, without alerting any of the guards in the mansion.

After leaving the residence, Mu Yunjin pulled out a veil she had prepared from her sleeve, covered her face, and strode toward the bustling area not far away.

…

Soon, she arrived at Shangwen Tower, where today’s literary competition was being held.

Mu Yunjin stood in front of Shangwen Tower for a while. In a short time, many people came and went, all muttering—

“Brother Lin, I’ve already exchanged for silver. This year I’m betting on Fourth Miss Mu to win again. Last year I doubled my money.”

“Naturally, Fourth Miss Mu is the Western Yuan Kingdom’s number one talented lady. She’s won three consecutive competitions, and she’ll certainly claim the title again this time.”

“…”

Hearing these conversations, Mu Yunjin understood the situation and followed the crowd into Shangwen Tower.

Stepping inside Shangwen Tower, she saw a competition stage set up in the center. The area around the stage was already packed with a sea of people. Mu Yunjin looked around, then walked toward the betting area.

At the betting area stood a middle-aged man who, upon seeing Mu Yunjin, smiled at her and said, “This young lady looks unfamiliar. I presume this is your first time watching the literary competition?”

Mu Yunjin nodded without speaking.

The middle-aged man continued smiling and pointed at two betting pots in front of him. “Look at these two pots. The one representing Fourth Miss Mu is already so full of silver it can barely hold any more. This other pot is still completely empty.”

“Since it’s your first time here, if you want to place a bet, as someone experienced, I suggest you bet on this one.” The middle-aged man pointed to the pot filled with silver.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yunjin smiled, a hint of contempt flashing in her phoenix eyes. Without hesitation, she untied the purse at her waist and tossed the entire thing into the empty pot.

With a “clang,” the silver hit the empty pot, making a considerable noise that drew many onlookers.

“Does the young lady not believe me?” Seeing this, the middle-aged man’s smile faded, showing some displeasure.

Mu Yunjin’s lips curled upward as she folded her arms, replying with perfect calm, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. I just think Mu Lingzhu won’t win today.”

“Hmph, ignorant woman. You’ll be crying soon enough.” The middle-aged man clicked his tongue and turned away, no longer willing to speak with Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin’s actions caused many people to look at her repeatedly. Since Mu Yunjin’s face was veiled, most people took the middle-aged man’s word and regarded her as some ignorant woman.

…

At this moment, in a private box on the second floor, a figure in purple elegant attire sat with his gaze resting lightly on Mu Yunjin below, his eyes gleaming with an indecipherable light, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

“Ding Xian, who do you think this prince should bet on?”

The man called Ding Xian immediately bowed upon being addressed. “Your Highness has been hesitant to place a bet today, presumably you have other thoughts.”

Downstairs, Mu Yunjin wandered around with her arms folded, vaguely feeling that a pair of eyes was watching her, making her entire body uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Mu Yunjin stopped, abruptly raising her eyes toward the second floor, coincidentally meeting those eagle-like eyes. As their gazes connected, Mu Yunjin experienced a chilling sensation.

“Seen enough?” Mu Yunjin was the first to regain her composure, slightly raising an eyebrow, her eyes showing no fear.

At this moment, the competition had not yet begun, and the lower floor was in an uproar. Mu Yunjin wasn’t sure if the person upstairs could hear her words.

“What if I say I haven’t seen enough?” A voice came from upstairs, carrying a hint of coldness.

Hearing the reply, Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes, then began walking toward the second floor.

Just as Mu Yunjin set foot on the last step of the second floor, she saw the purple-clad man sitting there. Just his profile made Mu Yunjin think of the phrase “magnificent and elegant.”

Standing beside the purple-clad man was a man who appeared to be a guard. But with her years of counterterrorism experience, Mu Yunjin sensed numerous hidden presences in the surroundings.

The purple-clad man before her was clearly no ordinary person.

“Afraid to come closer?” Seeing that Mu Yunjin stood at the edge of the stairs without moving, the purple-clad man spoke softly, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Mu Yunjin smiled faintly and shook her head, slowly walking over and casually sitting down in a nearby chair. She glanced downstairs and exclaimed, “Wow, your position is really good—you can see everything below clearly.”

Ding Xian, standing nearby, was about to step forward to stop her but was halted by a glance from the purple-clad man. He could only remain where he was, pausing before asking, “Young lady, why didn’t you bet that Fourth Miss Mu would win today?”

“Why should I bet on her winning?” Mu Yunjin countered.

Ding Xian was stunned. He glanced at the purple-clad man, who was calmly sipping his tea, seemingly no longer listening to his conversation with Mu Yunjin.

So he asked again, “Fourth Miss Mu has won three consecutive competitions. For this fourth one, her chances of winning are still very high.”

“She won’t win today.” Mu Yunjin looked toward the stage below, the corner of her lips curling into a confident smile.

“Why?” Ding Xian asked curiously.

Mu Yunjin smiled, glancing at Ding Xian. “Because I hate her.”

Ding Xian was completely speechless and closed his mouth, no longer talking to Mu Yunjin.

“Ding Xian, go place the bet.” At this moment, the previously silent purple-clad man’s eyes flashed as he spoke calmly.

Ding Xian was startled but quickly recovered, rushing downstairs.

Shortly after, the sound of silver dropping into the empty pot was heard again from below, once more attracting many onlookers.